Combined compass and siding-hook.



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@Nrrsgn STATES PATENT 01mins.

WILLIAM F. SEARGEANT, or MARSHALL, MISSOURI.

COMBINED COMPA SS AND SlDlNG-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,390, dated June 12, 1900.

Application filed March 17, 1898, Serial N: 674,194. (NO 1110(181.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that Ll/VILLIAM F. SEARGEANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marshall, in the county of Saline and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Compass and Siding-Hook, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined compass and siding-hook, and has for its object to provide novel means for holding the legs of the compass at any desired distance apart. In the accompanying drawings, illustrat ing my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved instrument. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing an instrument constructed according to my invention and provided with my improved means for holding the legs of the compass in various spaced positions; and Fig. 4 is a front view The numeral 1 indicates one leg of the compass, whioh in either form shown in Figs. 1 and 3 is formed rectangular in cross-section and has its outer face and sides provided as a straight-edge 2, which extends to a point near its lower end. The remaining portion of this leg is tapered, as shown at 3, to form theordinary point of one leg of the compass. Formed as an integral part of'this leg of the compass is the siding-hook attachment 4, which comprises an upward extending portion 5, provided with the downward-depending hook 6, the outer face of which forms a continuation of the outer face of said projecting portion 5 and forms a straight-edge 7. The hook 6 extends downward toa point about midway of the leg 1 and is located at a suitable distance from said leg to afford a space 8 for a purpose to be presently described. The inner face 9 of the hook 6 is also provided as a straight-edge to extend parallel with the side or straight-edge 2 of legl and the side 7 of hook G. The upper edge 10 of the space 8 is formed asa straightedge to extend at right angles to the sides 2, 9, and 7.

The outer leg 11 of my improved instrument is preferably formed rectangular in cross-section in its upper portion as indicated at 12, the remaining portion of the leg being formed circular in cross-section, as indicated at 13, and gradually tapering to a point corresponding to the lower extremity of the straight-edge 2, from which point it is tapered sharply to form the other'point 14c of the compass. The upper ends of the legs 2 and 11 are connected by a rule-joint 15 of ordinary construction.

In Fig. 3 I have shown an instrument 'c0nstructed according to my invention and pro vided with my improved means for securing the legs of the compass in adjusted positions.

'In this form of the device the upper portion of the leg 1 is provided with an elongated aperture 16, in the lower portion of which is secured, as by a rivet 17, one end of a segment 18. The leg 11 is provided with a corresponding but larger aperture 19, the lower portion of which forms a working way for the segment 18. The numeral indicates a camshaped clutch which comprises a footpiece 21, pivoted at 22 in the aperture 19 above the segment 18 and in such manner that its lower surface may be made to bear upon the upper surface of said segment, and a flat arm 23, which extends upward from said footpiece 21 on the outside of the leg 11. The upper end of said arm 23 is provided with an aperture 24, through which passes the shank 24 of a set-screw 25, the screw-threaded end of which shank engages in a screw-threaded aperture 26, formed in the upper end of leg 1.1. In the outer face of said leg 11, near its upper end, is provided a recess 27, in which is seated a coiled spring 28, which surrounds the shank 24 and bears against the inner side of the arm 23. The footpiece 21 of the camshaped clutch 20 projects beyond the inner face of the leg 11 to afford an extended bearing-surface and is received in the upper part of the aperture 16. In practice the footpiece 21 is normally out of cont-act wit-h the segment 18. \Vhen the legs of the compass have been separated to the required distance, the shank of the set-screw 25 is screwed into the aperture :36 against the resistance of the spring 28, which causes the footpiece 21 to bear firmly against the upper surface of the segment,and thereby hold the legs of the compass securely in fixed relation to each other. By unscrewing the set-screw 25 the spring 28 will press the arm 23 outward, thereby raising the footpiece 21 out of contact with the segment, and the legs of the compass may be brought together or opened wider, as the case may be.

My improved siding-hook attachment is designed more particularly for use in squaring the ends of weather-boarding adjacent to the corner-hoard or the door orwindow casing of a house, but is well adapted to other uses in the art of carpentry, as will be apparent to those skilled in this art. When used for the particular purpose indicated, the board is temporarily placed in position to extend be tween the corner-boards of the house, or be tween the corner-board and a casing, or between two casings, as the case may he, and the siding-hook is then placed on the board, which is received in the space 8, the straightedge 10 resting upon the uppersurfacc of the board. The device is now moved up, so that oneside of the hook 6 may be brought flush with a side of the corner-board or casing, and the board may be scribed by asuitablepointed instrument drawn along the straight-edge 2. In certain cases the straightedges 7 and 9 may be also employed forscribing the board. By providing the projecting portion 5 I am enabled to scribe boards which might otherwise prove inaccessible to the hook (3, as where the board is not long enough to extend over the corner-board I may place the end of the board against the inner side of the cornerboard and place the straight-edge 7 on the surface of the board and against the side of the corner-board, when the board may be scribed from said straight-edge 7.

The compass part of my improved device is of course susceptible of all the uses of this class of instruments, and such uses need not be here enumerated.

My improved device aii'ords an instrument of great utility and convenience and in the special use for which it is designed will save the carpenter a great deal of time and expense by dispensing with the use of several tools which are ordinarily employed in performing the work which may be accomplished by my combined device.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A compass having on one of its legs a segment, a cam-shaped clutch mounted on the opposite leg and having an upward-extending arm provided with an aperture, a screw-threaded aperture provided in said lastnamed leg, and a set-screw having a threaded shank passing through the aperture in the arm and engaging in the threaded aperture in the leg of the compass, substantially as described.

2. A compass having on one of its legs a segment, a cam-shaped clutch mounted on the opposite leg and having an upward-extending arm provided with an aperture, a screw-threaded aperture provided in said lastnamed leg, a set-screw having a threaded shank passing through said aperture in the arm and engaging in the threaded aperture in the leg of the compass, and a spring interposed between the leg and said arm, substantially as described.

A compass having its legs provided in their upper portion with elongated apertures, a segment secured at one end in one of said apertures and passing through the aperture in the opposite leg, a cam-shaped clutch pivotally mounted in said last-named aperturev and having a projecting portion extending into the opposite aperture above the segment, an upward-extending arm carried by said clutch and having in its upper end an aperture, a recess provided in the leg of the compass, a screw-threaded aperture com m unicating with said recess, a set-screw having a threaded shank passing through said aperture in the arm and engaging in the threaded aperture in the legof the compass and a spring seated in said recess and bearing against the inner side of said arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I-have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 1 nesses.

WILLIAM F. SEARGEAN'I. Witnesses:

GEO. W. REA, F. B. KEEFER. 

